Construction of fireproof buildings



' C. L. SLOCUM CONSTRUCTION OF FIREPROOF BUILDINGS Dec. 29, 1931.

Original Filed July 26. 1927 Patented Dec. 29, 1931 PA T] OFFICE ICHARLES. L. snoouivr, OFPLAINFIELD, nnwnnnsnr oonsrnucrlon or rmnrnoorBUILDIN S Application filed July 26, 1927, Serial No. 208,429. RenewedMay 15, 1931.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of fireproofbuildings and has for an object to obviate the necessity of buildingtemporary forms around and be 5 tween the floor beams of a'building whenlay ing concrete floors. V 7

According to this invention, I provide light weight formblocks offireproof material which are arranged between andsup- 10 ported by thefloor beams. These blocks are of suficient strength to supportthe'concrete flooring while setting but have nothing to do with thesupport of the floorafter the concrete has set. The blocks are providedat one end with shoulders which overlie the bot tom flanges of thefloor'beams' and have their other ends meeting centrally between thefloor beams. l The meeting ends of the blocks are grooved to receiveakey: rod which is composed of some compressible material. Strips of thecompressible material are interposed between the shoulders on the blocksand the flanges of the beams. Lips are also provided on the forms toproject beneath the bottom flangejof the beam. The. blocks are sodesigned that the shoulders reston'ly on the outer edge of the'lowerflange of the floor beams; thus leaving a substantial spacebetween the blocks 'and the remaining portion of the beams. i f

'The forms are light enough to be placed in position by a single workmanstanding upona temporary platform above the floor beamsand canthereforeeasily be properly positioned and the key rod inserted in'thegrooves. After the blocks have been pro'p erly positioned building paperor the like is spreadov'er the-form's and the concrete pour-v edthereover to jform'the floor arches. [Be- G cause of the space leftbetween the blocks and the beams, the floor arches have a direct'footingon that portion of the lower flange 'ofthe floor beam'not covered bythe'shoulder of the block. The floor arch is thus directly sup portedthe beam. The building "paper preventsthe formation of a sealbetween'the concrete and th e'forms. Suitablereinform ing rods maybelocated within the concrete P floorin in the usual manner. After thecon- 00 b crete has set,.the forms have served them purpose. It is forthis reason that thecompres sible material above described has beenused. Flexing of the concrete floor under loadapplied thereto will notfracture the forms as the cushioning material yields, thus permittingslight displacement of the forms. Such displacement is also permited byVirtue of the fact that there is no sealbetween the concrete and theform. i

"The under surface of the form may have .60

appliedthereto plaster to form a ceiling and. the weight thereof is theonly load to which these forms are subjected when the building iscomplete; The lips on the forms projecting beneath the floor beamflanges protects them in the manner required by fire regulations and thespace between the "floor beams and the lips is filled in with plaster.

Others objects; novel features and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following description and appended claims, wherein 3 fl Fig. l is a cross section of a floor showing" the floor beams andforms,,and

' Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a form.

I 10 designates the I beams commonlyused for the floor of a fireproofbuilding and 11. designates form blocks which are arranged between thebeams. The form blocks 11 are supported by the flanges of the floorbeams 0 and extend toward each other to meet centrally of the floorbeams. The forms are provided with shoulders 12 whichoverlie the edgesof the bottom flangesof the floor beams and with lips 13 which underliesuch flanges. s5 Interposed between the shoulders 12 and the saidflanges are strips 14 of compressible material 5 The blocks are sodesigned that they do not directly contact with the beams, w thusproviding a space between the blocks and the beams into which concretemay be cured to form'floor arches having a direct footing upon the beamflanges. The meeting edges of the forms are grooved as at 15 to receivea key rod 16of compressible material. After the blocks have beenpositioned-"asshown at Fig. '1 they comprise a form over and aroundwhich'the concrete 17 may be poured.

The blocks 11, although light enoughto 10o be handled by a. singleworkman, are of sufficient strength to support the concrete flooringuntil it has set. The rod 16 and strips 14 are of such character thatthey will withstand the weight of the concrete without compressing butwhen the finished floor is flexed by reason of added weight they willyield slightly. A layer 18 ofbuilding paper or the like is interposedbetween the concrete and the forms 11, thereby preventing a seal betweenthe concrete and the forms. 19 designates the reinforcing rodscustomarily used in reinforced concrete construction.

After the concrete flooring has hardened the blocks 11 have no furtherfunction with respect thereto as the floor arches are supported directlyfrom the beam flanges. ihe under surfaces of these blocks may be. usedto support the plaster 20 forming the ceiling of the floor beneath. Theforms are sulficiently strong to sustain such load. Because of thecompressibility of the strips 14 the rod 16 and the building paperbetween the forms and the cement, the forms will not be crushed orruptured by flexure of the concrete floor. This insures the preventionof injury to the ceiling supported by the forms. The space between thelips 13 and the floor beams is filled with ceiling plaster and the beamsare thus further fireproofed.

The exact shape and size of the form blocks depends upon the type ofbuilding under construction andinay bevaried as desired. In generalhowever tnese blocks have a flat top surface and an arched undersurface. This configuration produces a light weight block which may beeasily handled and by the use of which floor arches of maximum strengthhaving a given amount of concrete may be produced. It also provides avery satisfactory ceiling support. Such form blocks may be used as wellin the construction of roofs as in the construction of floors. hecushion strips and .key rod are preferably constructed of a fireproofmaterial such for example as asbestos and are designed to resistcompression under the weight of the fresh wet concrete but will yieldwhen subjected to a greater weight. The form blocks are so designed thatthey do not come into actual contact with the beams or with each other,thus preventing chipping or breaking.

In some instances, it may be advisable to provide tie rods extendingbetween floor beams in order to prevent spreading thereof during theprocess of construction, and it is within the contemplation of thisinvention that such tie rods be used. Moreover, although concrete hasbeen specifically mentioned as the material of which the floor archesare constructed, it is apparent that the invention is equally applicablein connection with floor arches formed of other fireproof materialssuch, for example, as gypsum and the like;

I claim:

1. In a fireproof structure the combina tion of metal beams, fireproofforms between said beams, each form having a shoulder overlying the edgeof a beam flange, cushion strips interposed between said shoulders andsaid flanges, a cushion key rod interposed between the meeting ends ofsaid forms and concrete overlying said forms to form a floor arch havingdirect footing on said flanges.

2. In a fireproof structure the combination of metal beams, fireproofforms between said beams,- each form having a shoulder overlying theedge of a beam flange, cushion strips interposedbetween said'shouldersand said flanges, and concrete overlying said forms to form a floor archhaving directfooting on said flanges.

3. In a fireproof structure the combination of metal beams, fireproofforms between said beams, each form having a shoulder overlying the edgeof a beam flange, cushion strips interposed between said shoulders andthe beam flanges, a cushion key rod interposed between the meeting. endsof said forms, concrete overlying said forms to form a floor arch havingdirect footing on said flanges, and. building paper interposed betweensaid forms and said concrete.

l. In a fireproof structure thecombination of metal beams,fireproof-forms between said beams, each form having a shoulderoverlying the edge of a beam flange, cushion strips interposed betweensaid shoulders and the beam flanges, concrete overlying said forms toform a floor arch having direct footing on said flanges,and buildingpaper interposed between said forms and said concrete- 5. Inafireproofstructure the combinaof said flanges, strips of compressiblematerial interposed between said shoulders and said flanges, concreteoverlying said forms andforming a floor arch having direct foot ing on.said flanges, a compressible key rod arranged in-opposed grooves at themeeting ends of said forms, and means interposed between said forms andconcrete to prevent adhesion thereof.

7. In a fireproof structure the combination ofmetalqbeams, light weight.forms of fireproof material between said beams, said forms havingshoulders overlying the edges of said flanges, strips of compressiblematerial interposed between said shoulders and said flanges, concreteoverlyingsaid forms and forming a floor arch having direct footing onsaid flanges, means interposed between said forms and concrete toprevent adhesion thereof, lips projecting from said blocks beneath saidflanges, and plaster applied to the underside of said forms toconstitute a ceiling and cover said lips.

8. In a fireproof structure the combination of metal beams, light weightforms of fireproof material between said beams, said forms havingshoulders overlying the edges of said flanges, strips ofcompressiblematerial interposed between said shoulders and said flanges,concrete overlying said forms and forming a floor arch having directfooting on said flanges, a compressible key rod arranged in opposedgrooves at the meeting ends of said forms, means interposed between.said forms and concrete to prevent adhesion thereof, lipsprojecting'from said blocks beneath said flanges, and plaster applied tothe underside of said forms to constitute a ceiling and cover said lips.

ion key rodi'nterposed between the meeting edges of said forms and floorarches having direct footing on said flanges.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES L. SLOOUM.

